


Luke Cage: Not Your Racial Ambassador

by Jennifer-Oksana (JenniferOksana)



Category: Alias (Comics), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5799055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenniferOksana/pseuds/Jennifer-Oksana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What does a black superhero in New York in an interracial relationship think about all the white people he has to deal with?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Luke Cage: Not Your Racial Ambassador

“You are going to have a gorgeous kid,” Kat said as they wrapped up the interview for the Bugle. “I mean, biracial children are always so beautiful, you know?”

Luke nodded. “Her and Jazmyne DuBois: poster children of the new world order,” he said lightly, remembering Jessica’s dream about their little girl. Their little girl — that was good enough to let him ignore Kat’s little gaffe. Like most people at the Bugle, she was trying.

Nice white folks were always trying.

“Who?” Kat asked, reminding him that trying was not exactly the same as succeeding.

“You know, from _The Boondocks_?” Luke asked. There was another long pause from Kat.

“That’s the controversial one, right? Aaron McGruder,” she said, smiling broadly. “Sticking it to the Administration about the Patriot Act and the Iraq War, I remember now. I should really read that.”

“Yeah, it’s good, you’d like it,” Luke said. “Anyway, I gotta go. Superhero shit.”

More like, he needed to get back to the bar to make sure that the bartender hadn’t ripped him off for half the shift. Lazy-ass son of a bitch — Irish Catholic guy who worked with Pedro, who was Puerto Rican and didn’t like causing trouble. Pedro was rock-solid, but not quite smart enough to tell Jimmy to keep the buyback to acceptable fucking levels.

But you didn’t tell the white people that. It made them have a thoughtful face, especially when Luke got to talking with guys like the Avengers.

Jess got it, but Jess was down — if she hadn’t been before, a couple of years working up near Washington Heights had given her what she needed to get it.

Jess. Jess and their daughter, who was going to have a ‘fro that made Jazmyne’s look tame, and if Luke was lucky, her mother’s eyes.

“What are you gonna name her?” someone asked. Luke looked up; Parker. Should have known that do-gooding so-and-so was going to keep an eye on him. After all, he’d gone after the Goblin in broad daylight. “I like Shawna.”

“I don’t,” Luke said. “We haven’t talked about it, me and Jessica. Hell, we’ve barely registered that we’re going to have a baby. What about you, man? How long have you and Mary Jane been married?”

“A while,” Parker answered. “You pissed at me or something, Cage?”

“I ain’t thrilled with you, no,” Luke answered.

“Likewise,” Parker said. “Do you know how many people the Green Goblin could have killed if things had gone wrong? This isn’t a gang war.”

“Naw, it’s not,” Luke answered. “Brothers wouldn’t be caught dead in your colors, Parker.”

Parker looked a little taken aback. “I didn’t mean it like — look, I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know anything about it,” he said. “It was still stupid and not the way to handle Osborne.”

“I don’t know about that,” Luke said. “His ass is in jail and there’s no way his overpaid lawyer can claim he ain’t the Goblin now. I’m out another pair of pants, but maybe I can get that son of a bitch Jameson to pay for ’em.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Parker said. “You get that message from Avengers Mansion?”

“Yeah,” Luke said. Parker shifted. “I’m going. I’m interested in what the _white_ Captain America has to say, and if he’s willing to pay.”

“Pay?” Peter Parker asked.

“My girl took a job with fucking Jameson to get health insurance,” Luke said. “I don’t really want to work with Captain America so much, but if she’s willing to do it for our family, I ain’t gonna let her down.”

“Good man,” Parker said, thumping Luke on the back. “Keep on keeping on.”

Luke snorted. “Sound a little more like a honkey, Parker,” he said. “Anyway, gotta go. It’s a long walk to the subway and ain’t no one stopping for a black man in mid-town.”

“I could get you one…” Parker said as Luke walked away, shaking his head.

Nice white folks. He’d almost rather deal with a KKK motherfucker; at least they knew what racism was.

Luke’s phone rang. “Luke Cage.”

“Hey, it’s me,” Jessica said. “I have a craving.”

“You have a craving?”

“I want chitlins.”

Luke almost busted up laughing. Woman was going to be the death of him yet. “Woman, you told me that chitlins were foul, and that you wouldn’t have them in the house,” he said.

“That was before I got pregnancy cravings,” Jessica said. “So, please. Get me chitlins, sour cream, and hot sauce.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Luke said. But he was smiling when he said it, and when he ended the call, he wasn’t thinking about Peter Parker, Kat Farrell, or the Avengers.

No, he was thinking about what mattered. Also about how it had been a while since he had actually _eaten_ chitlins.


End file.
